Hop-Along Cassidy
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Howard Bretherton
William Boyd
Jimmy Ellison
Paula Stone
George Hayes
Kenneth Thomson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When Bill Cassidy returns to the Bar-20 ranch from Texas, his friend Buck Peters hires him to be the line foreman. The neighboring ranch owner, Jim Meeker, has been sending his cattle onto Bar-20 land for water against Buck's wishes. Jim's foreman Jack Anthony, working with cattle rustlers, fuels this argument over water rights to obscure their operations by killing Meeker's cowhands and stealing from both herds. Johnny Nelson, a young cowhand at the Bar-20, falls in love with Jim's daughter Mary and resents Bill's arrival at the ranch because Uncle Ben, Buck and Red Connors practically revere him, and because Bill gives Johnny fatherly advice. The feud between the ranches heats up, and Bill suffers a gunshot wound in the leg while trying to rescue Johnny from a lynch mob. Bill insists he can "hop-a-long" alright with his injured leg, and resolves to discover who is rustling the herds and instigating the feud between the ranches. When Ben finds a hide whose brand has been altered from Bar-20, Bill realizes both the Bar-20 brands and Jim's brands could be changed to read as the same brand. With this evidence, he and Jim ally the two ranches to work against the rustlers. Anthony kills Ben after he discovers the rustlers' hideout in Thunder Mesa, but Ben scrawls the location in the dust before he dies. Bill finds Ben and the message, and infuriated by Ben's death, rounds up every available man and captures the hideout and the rustlers. Too cowardly to fight, Anthony tries to escape, but falls over a cliff to his death. Johnny has gained new respect for Bill and with peace restored, he leaves Mary behind to join Bill and Red, who plan to buy their own ranch in Wyoming.
Director
Howard Bretherton
Cast
William Boyd
Jimmy Ellison
Paula Stone
George Hayes
Kenneth Thomson
Frank Mcglynn [jr.]
Charles Middleton
Robert Warwick
Willie Fung
Frank Campeau
Jim Mason
Ted Adams
Franklyn Farnum
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
William Boyd (I) was originally offered the role of Buck Peters, the Bar 20 ranch foreman, but chose the role of Cassidy.
Notes
The film was originally titled Hop-Along Cassidy, according to the Paramount script files at the AMPAS Library, although contemporary advertisements called the film Hop-A-Long Cassidy. The film was re-released as Hopalong Cassidy Enters. Although the viewed print listed William Boyd's character as "Hop-Along Cassidy," the release dialogue script listed him as "Bill Cassidy." According to the pressbook, production ran for twelve to fourteen days, and some scenes were filmed on location in Red Rock Canyon in the High Sierras, and in Lone Pine, CA. Modern sources include John Merton and Wally West in the cast. This is the first Hopalong Cassidy film in the Paramount series. All thirteen of the films, from 1935 through 1940, are based on the "Hopalong Cassidy" character created by Clarence E. Mulford in his novels. William Boyd's co-star, George "Gabby" Hayes, appeared as Hoppy's sidekick "Windy Halliday" in seven of the films, as well as other characters in two other films. Russell Hayden appeared as Hoppy's other sidekick "Lucky Jenkins" in ten films from the series. Paramount titles include Call of the Prairie, Hopalong Cassidy Returns, Hills of Old Wyoming and Hopalong Rides Again. In 1942, Paramount sold the rights to United Artists, which continued to produce the series starring William Boyd. William Boyd later bought the television rights to the films and aired edited versions of them on NBC television from 1949 to 1951. By 1951 the show was so popular that Boyd filmed 52 new episodes, which ran from 1952-54. For additional titles in the series consult the Series Index.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1935
Released in United States March 1976
Released in United States 1935
Released in United States March 1976 (Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (The 48-Hour Cowboy Movie Marathon) March 18-31, 1976.)
